Emeryville Massage School

Sabrina developed a passion for massage through her own journey of healing. Dealing with chronic pain from a childhood injury, led her to seek alternative treatments to manage it. It was in receiving bodywork, and seeing how powerful it can be, that she realized her potential to help others. Sabrina is a graduate of NHI’s 1350 hour program, and is a Certified Massage Therapist and Neuromuscular Therapist. Her experience includes a day spa, a therapeutic massage studio, and assisting with bodywork seminars. While always making time to come back to tutor, TA, and now teach at NHI, which is her dream job. “The human body is so fascinating, I feel as though I could spend the rest of my life learning about it, bodywork modalities, and sharing that with others.”

Ro’i Rose began studying Chinese bodywork in 1990 with Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming in a direct transmission and decided to make bodywork a career in 2002. Since then, he has continued his education with many masters in the fields of bodywork, qigong, and neuro-regulation, including Peter Levine, Judith Aston, and Bruce Frantzis. His passion is the integration of Classical Chinese Medicine with neurobiologically-informed forms of trauma resolution such as Somatic Experiencing and polyvagal theory. “There is no one path to healing. We must all find our own way. My role is to be an ally and tour guide to my clients and students, gently leading my fellow travelers to their desired states of wholeness.”

Lisa is a 1996 Graduate of NHI's Core Massage Therapist & Health Educator Program and has been a dedicated NHI employee for over 15 years. Her contributions to NHI's mission of "Helping People Have Work They Love" have come through numerous roles held, which include Student Life & Career Coordinator, Mentor, Campus Manager, as well as her current role of Instructor. Lisa is passionate in establishing connections with each individual who passes through NHI's doors and looks to provide each Student and Graduate with a balance of support and motivation, tailored to their specific needs. Lisa invites any opportunity to share knowledge about the benefits of massage with others and loves to share mini massage facts with children and youth. I guess one might say that she enjoys "planting the seeds of self-awareness, self-care, and a life-long practice and love of receiving massage."

Kirsten began her journey with NHI as a student in 2004. While nurturing a growing love for massage therapy, she realized that she naturally also gravitated toward a skill set built in her previous career: training and education for adult learners. As a student tutor at NHI, and later as a Teaching Assistant post-graduation, Kirsten was able to explore a variety of approaches to teaching and learning while honing her massage skills. When NHI approached her in 2006 to invite her to merge her loves of education and massage by becoming a teacher, she jumped at the chance. While growing a robust and diverse massage practice, Kirsten also began to grow with NHI. Kirsten focused strongly on understanding the Core Program curriculum and how to effectively deliver it to a wide-variety of students. Over the years, Kirsten became a key member of the curriculum and faculty training teams, teacher and trainer of the ANMT Program, Co-Manager of the ANMT Program and now currently is the Director of Training and Program Development for all NHI programs and campuses. “My passion is to create educational experiences that make teachers excited to teach and students excited to learn.”

Esko’s 10 years of experience in the massage therapy field have been fed by very eclectic knowledge, ranging from fitness training and working with professional athletes to being a Reiki master teacher. One of his best strengths is his unique approach and ability to explain a lesson many different ways. He encompasses massage as an art form and can draw from over ten different modalities during any given session. “I am always learning. NHI has given me a job that I love, in the field of massage therapy, and continues to give me an education ten years later.”

Emily became a certified Massage Therapist and Holistic Health Practitioner in 2005. Since then she has worked in clinical and spa settings, while building her private practice around the treatment of severe and chronic pain. Providing safe, knowledgeable, and effective services are her passion; one Emily strives to share with the students of NHI.

Amy is a 1995 graduate of NHI’s Core Program. Since graduating from NHI, Amy has worked in chiropractic offices, salons and in private practice. Most recently, Amy’s focus has been on Transformational Bodywork, Energy Work and Shamanic Practices, even traveling to Ireland to complete an Advanced Shamanic Certification Course in 2017. Amy also has an MA in Counseling Psychology and has worked with children with Autism since 1990. Amy is thrilled to have returned ‘home’ to NHI as a teacher and mentor. “In all of my experience, I have come to realize that my life’s purpose is to help others find theirs. To me, being a teacher is one of the best ways of helping others find Purpose and Direction in their lives. I believe that doing what you love, what you’re passionate about, is the only way to truly live one’s life Authentically, and helping people find work they love is what being a teacher at NHI is all about.”

Akilah Tutt graduated from the Petaluma campus of NHI in 2010. She began her massage career at the Silverado Resort & Spa in Napa, CA. She enjoyed the foot reflexology modality and loved performing Meyer Lemon Salt Scrubs. Incorporating Myofascial Therapy's technical aspect of pain reduction proved to be another joyous benefit of her sessions. She is currently serving as an Instructor/Mentor for the Emeryville campus. Her favorite quote is, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."